1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to golf clubs and, more specifically, toy golf clubs used by young children for indoor and outdoor play.
2. The Prior Art
Plastic golf sets are popular toys for young children. Typically the sets include one or more plastic molded club and one or more oversized balls that similate a golf ball in appearance. The plastic golf club is oversized to enable easy manipulation by a young child in striking the golf balls toward a target. In use, the child strikes the golf balls from a teeing area toward a plastic target. After the supply of balls is exhausted, the child retrieves the balls from the target area and returns them to the same or a different teeing area from which to resume play.
While the aforementioned state of the art golf sets work well and are popular consumer items, certain deficiencies which attend their use make them less desirable from a user's standpoint. First, the retrieval of multiple balls by a young child from the target area back to a teeing area is cumbersome given the size of the balls and the small hands of the child. It is difficult for a young child to collect a number of oversized balls and carry them without dropping some or all of the balls. When carrying the golf club along, the task becomes even more difficult.
Secondly, once the golf set is used and its packaging distroyed, storage of the golf set is likewise cumbersome. The multiple balls often become lost or misplaced when stored in loose form apart from the golf club and target. At the least, collection of the items from a storage location in order to initiate play is time consuming and cumbersome causing a level of dissatisfaction in the user.
Lastly, conventional golf sets are made by numerous manufacturers that comport with the aforementioned discription and have become, therefore, somewhat of a nondescript commodity item lacking in originality and enhanced play value. Without such enhanced or unique play value, the interest of the child in playing the game usually wanes quickly.